Why Populations Change and the Impact

• Population geographers bring to demography a special perspective—the spatial perspective—that emphasizes description and explanation of the “where” of population distribution, patterns, and processes

• The distribution of population is a result of many factors, such as employment opportunities, culture, water supply, climate, and other physical environment characteristics

• Geographers explore these patterns of distribution and density, as well as population composition in order to comprehend the complex geography of populations

• Understanding the reasons for and implications of variation in patterns and composition provides geographers with insight into population change and the potential impacts that growing or declining populations might have

Population Dynamics

• In order to arrive at a different understanding of population growth and change, experts look first at two significant factors: fertility and mortality

• Birth and death rates are simple but central indicators of a place’s level of economic development

• Fertility and mortality rates provide key insights into how well a country, region, or city is able to provide for its population, especially in terms of in- come, education, and health care

• Population geographers consider life expectancy, immigration, and emigration as well, which also affect population dynamics

Geography, Health, and Disease

• All people, things and events either occupy or happen in a particular place. Health and disease are no exception

• Medical and health geographers help us to understand how a place can support healthy bodies or how it constitutes the condition for disease and poor health

• They also provide maps and spatial explanations for the state of disease, such as HIV/AIDS, and health

Movement of Population

• In general terms, migrants make their decisions to move based on push factors and pull factors. Remember that push factors are events and conditions that impel an individual to move from a location. Pull factors are forces of attraction that influence migrants to move to a particular location

• Mobility is the capacity to move from one place to another, either permanently or temporarily

• Migration is an actual long-distance move to a new location

• Permanent and temporary changes of residence can occur for a variety of reasons. Striving for economic better- ment or escaping from adverse political conditions, such as war or oppression, are the most frequent causes. Push factors can produce forced migration, but it is usually the case that the decision to migrate reflects both push and pull factors

Challenges of Providing for a Growing Population

• A moderate response to the question “How can the global economy provide the world’s growing population with adequate food and safe drinking water, as well as a sustainable environment?” rejects casting the population issue as a biological one in which an ever growing population will inevitably create ecological catastrophe

• It also rejects framing it as an economic issue in which technological innovation and the sensitivities of the market will regulate population increases before a catastrophe can occur. Importantly, the response to this question is more convincingly understood as a political one

• Governments across the globe tend to avoid dealing with the population- resource problem because they lack the will to redistribute wealth or the resources to reduce poverty. Leaving the burden on citizens to force governments to address the problem